Development and Validation of a Knowledge Scale About the Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (KS-BPSD) Among Chinese Formal Caregivers

Objectives: The current study aimed to develop a scale assessing knowledge about behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (KS-BPSD) among Chinese formal caregivers and to investigate its psychometric properties and factorial structure.

Methods: The scale was generated with a systematic development process, and 229 formal caregivers working at nursing homes were recruited to construct and assess the psychometric properties of the scale. The preliminary scale was reviewed by an expert panel and items were selected based on item discrimination, difficulty, and item-total correlation.

Results: The final KS-BPSD version consisted of 12 items, loaded into three factors (i.e., Disease Characteristics, Care and Risks, and Treatment Needs) following principal component analysis (PCA). The KS-BPSD showed good test-retest reliability, internal consistency, as well as construct and concurrent validity.

Conclusions: The 12-item KS-BPSD was found to have high reliability and preliminary validity in assessing the level of knowledge about patient's BPSD among formal Chinese caregivers in nursing homes.

Clinical Implications: KS-BPSD is a reliable tool to address the knowledge discrepancies and support needs among dementia caregivers, helping to develop and evaluate educational programs in the management of patient's BPSD.